Claws of the MareKat 3
by KS Claw
Summary: Here is the 3rd and absolutely last of my COTM trilogy. Hope you´ll enjoy it and give it a nice review.


CLAWS OF THE MAREKAT 3: A BATTLE IN A DIFFERENT FORM

CLAWS OF THE MAREKAT 3: A BATTLE IN A DIFFERENT FORM

A.N: OK people, here is the third part of my COTM stories. And then theres the usual stuff: There´s thing I don´t own, there´s stuff I do own, blah blah blah. Use my mail for comments, complaints and flames. Well, else I hope you´ll enjoy it. 

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PROLOGUE:

Viper stood and was mixing some chemicals, while his about 3 year-old nephew Nicky was having a nap. Viper had turned on the TV he had in his lab, so he could follow the news. Suddenly, that commercial that was playing was interrupted by a news-cast.Viper turned to the television.

  
"This is Ann Gora from Katseye News, with a news-cast. A privat plane with the passengers Michael, Samantha and John Purvis who was on their way home from a business-trip, has disappeared in the dangerous Bermuda Triangle in the pasific ocean. We will be back with more news. Ann Gora from Katseye News, signing off."

The testtube Viper had been holding crashed to bits on the floor.

CHAPTER 1:

Syphon the MareKat was not in a good mood. In fact, he was furious. Even though he had to follow the universal rules, and obey his master, he now had to live with, that he had been cheated for his revenge *twice*!

  
"That blasted Viper!" He thought to himself. "Not only did he kill my Milai, he also managed to steal the child from under my whiskers, and to keep on till the time ran out, and I had to obey those blasted RULES!!" Syphon let out a roar in hate and anger.

"CHAOS CURSE THE UNIVERSAL RULES!!!" He roared. A laughter was heard from behind him. He spinned around and hissed at what he saw.

"A form-changer!" He sneered. The strange, eel-like creature nodded and showed her fish-bone like teeth in a nasty grin.

"Indeed yes. I am Shadow-Whip, and I heard your little..hmm..prayer. And I know a way for you to get revenge over the one you call Viper. Without the Master of Past and Presence knowing!"

The MareKat narrowed his eyes and listened. As the form-changer told about it´s plan, his teeth were slowly gritted in a evil grin.

--------------------------------

Nicky sat up in bed and gasped. It had happened again! That strange thing he saw whenever he went to sleep!! A mass of grey clouds...and something forming in it....but the harder he tried to remember, the faster it slipped away. It was all, thanks to his uncles potion. Ever since his parents had disappeared, now about 7 years ago, he had at first had strange nightmares, causing him to wake up screaming in fear. That had lasted till he had turned 5. Then his uncle mixed some strange plants together in a strong potion, and had forced the young kitten to drink it all. Nicky didn´t like the taste of it and had felt it as if he needed to throw up. The potion had also maked him sleepy. His uncle told him it was a sign about that the potion worked perfectly. He had only half remembered his uncle, caring him to bed and softly humming a gentle lullaby. 

Ever since then, he was unable to remember his dreams.

Nicky stretched and yawned, and stepped out of bed. He quickly got dressed in a pair of jeans, a red T-shirt and a pair of sportsshoes. When he walked into the lab, he found his uncle making breakfeast.

  
"Goodmorning uncle Viper!" Nicky said and hugged his uncle. Viper smiled and replied the hug.

"And goodmorning to you Nicky. Ssssleeped well?"

  
"As always, uncle." Nicky said with a smile. The snake-kat nodded and turned back to the table.

  
"Ssso, looking forward to tonight?" Nicky grinned and nodded.

"Uh huh! It´s always so fun to help you get those chemicals from the bio-lab, uncle."He said, and his uncle grinned in response.

  
"Yesss, but you know the rulessss..."

  
"Always careful about the guards, make sure I hide in the shadow and that I not get noticed or captured." Viper smiled.

"You know thesssse rulessss in and out by now, don´t you?"

"I´ve known them since I was 6!" Nicky giggeled and hugged his uncle, who ruffled the kittens jet-black hair.

  
"You are heck of a kid, my little one. And I´m glad for that." He said.

"Now let´ssss get sssome breakfeast and prepare for tonight."

---------------------------

Syphon narrowed his eyes as he saw the kitten hug Viper. His teeth was gritted in a furious snarl as he watched the kitten and Viper in his magical pool.

"If I had gotten the chance, he would be a pure killer by now!" He hissed. He heard Shadow-whips voice behind him.

"Oh yes, but you didn´t get the chance. But! Tonight, we WILL have the chance." She lifted her long-clawed hand and narrowed her deep-red eyes as she pointed on the MareKat.

"And remember! Don´t kill him!" Syphon gritted his teeth.

"All right. But if your magic doesn´t work...."

"Then you are free to do with him what you want!" The form-changer said with a shrugg.

"Now GO!" 

Syphon cackeled and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

------------------------

Viper peeked up from under the kat-hole cover. Good, no guards! He moved the cover and helped Nicky up.

  
"And remember!" He said very serious. "Don´t get caught!" Nicky shook his head.

"Don´t worry! I won´t!" Then he sneaked down the left corridor while Viper took the right.

The snake-kat sneaked along the wall in the shadows, his eyes the only source of light in the almost ink-black hall. He looked around a corner and stepped back when he notised a strange form on the floor, visible in the moon-light from the windows. As he sneaked closer, he almost slipped in some strange icky liquid. When he reached the form, he gasped as he saw it was a security-guard with a ripped-up throat. The guards eyes were wide in surprise and fear, which was a obvious sign that he had been caught by surprise. Viper examined the liquid he had almost slipped in and saw now, that it was blood.

"Well, surprise surprise! I´ll be darn if it ain´t the good Dr. Viper! I hadn´t expected YOU to be on MY hunting area!" Viper looked up in shock.

"Sssyphon?!" He gasped. The MareKat grinned.

"Awww, he remembers me!" The MareKat suddenly pounced and grabbed the surprised snake-kat by the throat. He gritted his razor-sharp teeth and started to tighten his grib slowly around Viper neck. Black spots started to dance in front of Vipers eyes, and shortly after a short fight with the much too strong MareKat, he lost his conciousness.

"If I didn´t need you right now, you would be a VERY dead snake-kat!" Syphon hissed and turned his head by a angry shout.

"You leave my uncle alone you nasty kat!!" Nicky shouted. Syphon gritted his teeth in a evil grin and laughed.

"You foolish kitten! If your oh-so-dear uncle hadn´t helped you 10 years ago, you would have been MINE!"

"Huh?" Nicky said not understanding what the MareKat meant, but was cut off when a eel-like creature appeared. It had arms like thin branches on a dead tree, and it´s claws were as long as the blade on a daggert. The eyes were as red as the MareKat´s fur and it´s skin was in a sick grey color. The creature stared evilly at Nicky and then raised it´s claw-like hands and started to chant in a strange language. Nicky gasped as a glowing ball of energy shot right towards him. He shrieked and disappeared into thin air. The energy-ball smashed almost undamaging into the floor. Shadow-Whip stared un-believing at the spot where the kitten had disappeared. Also Syphon had been taken by surprise.

"How in the name of Chaos himself did THAT happen?" He asked shocked. Shadow-Whip hissed.

  
"Nevermind! We´ve got what we came for!" Syphon nodded, and the strange duo disappeared in a cloud of smoke with their prey, only leaving the dead guard behind.

Shortly after, steps were heard and an other guard came walking down the hall, to see what was happening. He gasped as he saw his dead comrad.

"Tony!" He shouted and crouched at Tony´s dead body.

"I´d better call the Enforcers!" The guard muttered and ran to get a phone.

----------------------------------------

The Master of Past and Presence sat straight up. Someone or something had disturbed the balance! He raised from his obsidian-throne and walked over to a magical Orb which was hovering over a black plate also made of obsidian. He stared into the orb and started to chant, moving his paws along the Orbs ice-cold round form.

  
"Tell me what is happening in my realm.....Oh powerful Orb from the dawn of time, be my eyes....." He murmured softly, his nose almost touching the huge globe. His ruby-colored eyes widened as he saw a familiar green-stribed kat with black spikes. Then a eel-like form and mind-changer and his own servant, the MareKat Syphon. 

"Hmmm......So Shadow-whip has returned..." The mage murmured. "This will be interesting."

---------------------------------------

When Viper came to his sences, he found he had been tied up by his wrists between 2 poles on a platform, where a strange holder was placed above his head. 

Except for 4 torches, placed on the platform in the different world corners (north, south, east and west) there was ink-black darkness around him.

"Ahhh, I see you have awakened." A ice-cold voice sounded and a strange creature appeared from the dark. She gazed at Viper with evil, blood-red eyes, which maked it chill down Vipers spine. 

"Who are you? Where have you taken me?" Viper hissed. The creature smiled. A smile that showed fishbone-like teeth, that looked like as if they could rip up Vipers throat as ripping paper. She slowly let a claw as long as a daggert glide along the snake-kats ear, making it twitch. Viper

growled and pulled his head out of distance. A reaction that made the creatures smile grow wider.

"I am Shadow-Whip. And you are in the realm of nightmares. You have been chosen to a very noble deed." Viper narrowed his eyes so they were only tiny slits.

"Deed? *What* deed?" He sneered. Shadow-whip´s smile turned into a large grin.

"You have been chosen to be a Avatar, for my master, the mighty god of chaos and destruction, AQUILLA!!" She shouted out the name and shoved her thin arms up in the air. Then she turned and slithered away in the darkness. A few moments later, she returned with a black orb, and placed it in the holder. She grinned as she saw Viper´s questioning face.

"Ahh, you probably wonder what I´m going to do with you right now. Well, you see, I know the ways to contact my master. This orb is a speciel...how should I say it...key, so he will enter your body and take control. And then chaos shall rule again!!" She laughed evilly, as she slithered backwards. Then she called out in the dark:

  
"Syphon! Come now! I need your help, to summon the orbs power!" The MareKat stepped out from the darkness and grinned at the look in Viper´s eyes. The snake-kat did definately not like this situation.

"Whats the matter little snake-kat? You scared!?" Syphon laughed evilly. Shadow-whip glared at the MareKat.

  
"Enough fooling around! We must begin the ceremony." Syphon nodded.

Both nightmare-creatures raised their arms and began to chant.

As Shadow-whip and Syphon kept on chanting, a strange green and black light, started to incircle in the orb. The light made the orb glow like a small sun and forced Viper to close his eyes, while the MareKat and the form and mind-changer stirred stiff on the orb, watching as the green and black light slithered down the chains that hold Viper captured and engulfed him. 

A undescribeable pain rushed through Vipers body making him clench his teeth. He pulled desperatly in the chains that hold him captured. Finally, the pain became too much and he let out a high shriek.

"IAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!"

CRASH

The orb was blown to bits by a energy-ball and Shadow-whip and Syphon spinned around in shock. Viper collapsed in the chains, exausted by the pain, and feeling like someone had put his brain through a blender.

Syphon gasped as he saw a very familiar hooded figure come walking out from the shadows.

"The Master of Past and Presence!" The mage send his former servant a evil smile.

"Indeed, my dear Syphon. And you have just crossed the line!" Shadow-whip hissed and swirped with her whip-like tail.

"How dare you interfere in this holy moment!!" She snarled and sent a fire-ball towards the mage, who easily dodged it. The Master of Past and Presence narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

  
"YOU should know better than to try and get power by changing side, Shadow-whip!" He sneered and sent a energy-ball which went past the form and mind-changer, and broke the chains that hold Viper without any of them except Viper notised. Syphon swallowed something and grabbed Shadow-whips arm.

"Shadow-whip! We can´t defeat the Master of Past and Presence! He is much stronger than we are, even if we unite our powers! We must get out of here." Shadow-whip growled, but nodded.

  
"Your right. We must go." She chanted and a portal opened. She quickly slithered through, followed by Syphon. Viper who was on the other side watched surprised as he saw different images in the portal. A forest, a mountain landscape, a city different from MKC, and....MegaKat Swamps!

"I´d rather be in my own realm, than staying here!" Viper thought to himself and jumped through.

The Master of Past and Presence looked around and his gaze fell on the crashed orb. He walked over, bended down and whispered a few words.

He gave a contended smirk and raised up again in his full height, when he couldn´t sence anything.

"Now I think it´s time to give my former servants a little lesson."

--------------------------------------

The Pastmaster quickly grabbed Nicky as the kitten appeared in the tower that belonged to the ancient sorcerer. The Pastmaster gazed into his magic potion and sighed in relief. The form and mind-changer and the MareKat had disappeared. But suddenly, the image changed and he saw Viper jumping through a portal and appearing in MegaKat Swamps. The snake-kat looked around and began to walk off. Nicky moved in the sorcerers grib and opened his eyes.

"Hng...Pastmaster? What happened? Why am I here?" The Pastmaster turned his look to the kitten.

"I brought you here, to safety child. You were lucky I just managed to do that spell just in time."

"Just in time....what do you mean?" Nicky asked and rubbed his forehead.

"Ow...my head hurts." He muttered. "I am sorry, but that is unfortunately one of the "effects" of this kind of transportation-spell." The Pastmaster apologized. Then Nicky saw the image of his uncle.

"Hey! That´s uncle Viper! He´s OK!" Nicky said happily, but then his face darkened in concern. "What´s wrong with him? It looks like as if he´s hurt." The Pastmaster rubbed his skeleton-chin.

"Your right, child. There is definately something wrong."

------------------------------------

Shadow-whip and Syphon were fleeing through a field with rocks, with the mage right at their tails.

"If he get´s us, we´re dead!" Syphon panted as they stopped up a few seconds. Even though he was used to run that fast as he did now, he was loosing his breath. Shadow-whip narrowed her eyes and looked as if she was listening for a un-hearable voice. She grinned, and her grin quickly turned into a laughter.

"Ah ha haaaa!! The ceremony went as I had expected! Aquilla has escaped to the mortal realm!! All he needs now is to gain full control of his Avatar and the world will be his!" She laughed again, and Syphon joined in, in triumph. But their joy was quickly interrupted when a dark voice boomed:

"If that is so, then I better make sure he doesn´t have any servants he can seek help from!"

Syphon and Shadow-whip spinned around and they both knew what was comming.

They prepared to fight.

------------------------

Viper groaned and rubbed his forehead. After he had jumped through the portal, he had been suffering from a throbbing headache, feeling as if someone or something was scratching his brain with razor-sharp claws. He reached out and felt a thick branch under his scaly fingers, supporting his weight when he leaned against it.

"What´sss happening to me?" He muttered and almost lost his balance when everything blurred out a few seconds. Then he slowly remembered Shadow-whips words.

"You have been chosen to be a Avatar...."

"Avatar...Avatar...I know what a Avatar isss.....It´sss jussst...." Suddenly, it felt like as if some wild beast digged it´s claws deep into the snake-kats mind. Viper clenched his head, screaming in pain, and fell into the water of the swamp.

A swamp-lizard sneaked it´s way over a branch and stared into the water where Viper had disappeared. It let out a surprised hiss and speeded off when the water began to bubble and Viper clawed his way up from the water. Only difference was...it was him, and though it wasn´t.

His body seemed more powerful. More muscular than before. And his eyes were now in a deep-red color, glowing in bloodthirst. He stood up and examined his scaly paws. A grin slowly spread along the snake-kats face. And when he spoke, his voice didn´t sound like it did before. It was deeper. More....evil!

"So....This is the Avatar, that Shadow-whip found for me this time...." He muttered with a nasty chuckle. "She has done a great job. As always..." He felt something in the back of his mind struggle, like a wasp in a spiders web. He grinned and closed his eyes. Shortly after, the feeling disappeared.

"Oh no you don´t little mortal." He thought to himself with a grin. 

"Now it is I, Aquilla, who runs the show!" The ancient god looked up and notised the lights from MegaKat City. He grinned.

"And I say, that it is time to eat! You sure get hungry when you have been trapped inside an orb for 6000 years!" He laughed and maked his way through the swamp, towards MegaKat City.

CHAPTER 2

Nicky stared unbelieving into the potion for a few seconds and then shook his head.

"No....It can´t be! Not uncle!" Nicky turned his head towards the Pastmaster.

"Pastmaster, what has happened to him!?" The kitten cried, voice filled with fear and concern. The old sorcerer shook his head.

"Apparently, he has becomed an Avatar for this...Aquilla.." He stroke his chin with a thoughtful look. "...And that name sounds familier. If only I could remember....."

  
"You gotta do something!" Nicky shouted. "I don´t wan´t to loose uncle too! He´s the only one I have left! I.." The Pastmaster grabbed Nickys shoulders and shook the young kitten.

"Calm down child! Until I know more about this...Aquilla, you´ll have to arm yourself with patience, understand!? Don´t think I aren´t worried as well. Your uncle and I has been friends and allies for 10 years ever since that time with the MareKat Syphon." Nicky freed himself from the Pastmasters grib.

  
"That´s right!" He said surprised. "That MareKat said something about, that if uncle Viper hadn´t helped me 10 years ago, then I would have belonged to that MareKat!" The Pastmaster stiffened. Then he sighed and rested 2 fingers against his forehead.

"I had never expected this day to come." He muttered, and walked over to a shelf with magical items. He picked down a small box and chanted something. The box glowed with a bright blue light for a few seconds, and then died out. The sorcerer then walked over and handed the box to Nicky.

"Your uncle and I made this right after your mother disappeared. I was supposed to give this to you if something happened to your uncle, and I guess the time has come." Nicky took the box and slowly opened it....

---------------------------------

Steel walked over to one of the Enforcers, who stood beside the door.

"Report!" He said calmly. The Enforcer, apparently a very young one, just gratuated from the academy, swallowed something.

"I..it´s horrible sir....a woman....her chest...bl...blood all over...." The Enforcer covered his face and bend down.

Steel gently patted the Enforcers back.

  
"Sometime in the future, you will get to see things that are even worse. Go over and grab some water. It helps." The Enforcer looked up on Steel who just nodded.

"Believe me. I am not afraid to admit, that I coughed up my lunch when I was on MY first murder-case." The Enforcer couldn´help it, but give a weak smile and then hurry off. 

Steel pushed up the door and walked in, carefully readeing his gun. Who knew if the murder still was in the house. A awful stench hung in the air. Steel new that stench well from other assignments of that kind. It was the smell of pain. Fear. Blood.

And death.

The brown kat walked along the hall and then saw it. A trail of blood, covering the wall. He saw something strange. Like something written....

"Yes....there has been writed something with the blood!" Steel muttered and quickly took a block and wrote it down.

"Aquillus...heramedus....terafectum...chaos...." The Enforcer muttered as he wrote it down. There was also a strange symbol, which Steel carefully drawed on the block.

"STEEL! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING!!??" A voice boomed. Steel gasped and spinned around.

"C..Commander!" He gasped. Feral narrowed his eyes.

"Just *what* is that!?" He growled and pointed at the block.

"I found some writings on the wall sir. I thought it would be a good idea to write it down. Just in case." Steel said quickly.

"Unfortunately, it´s on latin, so maybe we should seek help from Dr. Sinian?" Feral just gave a sour look.

"Alright. You go and make her translate that stuff. When you are done, report to me imeadially!"

"Yes sir!" Steel said and hurried out of the door.

--------------------

Aquilla watched as the kats, calling themself "Enforcers" moved in and soon carried out what was left of Aquillas desturbed meal. The kill had been fast. The she-kat had only had the chance to let out one scream, as he had ripped up her chest and buried his fangs in the mortals beating heart. He licked his lips contended by the thought of the taste of her sweet blood. Like honey, or ambrosia.

He felt something in his mind shudder in disgust and grinned.

  
"You might as well forget it." He grumbled with his evil deep voice. "My powers is undescribeable more powerful than yours will ever be, mortal! There is no chance you will ever get your body back, it is MINE!"

Aquilla chuckeled and ran on from his hiding-place in the shadows of the roof near the house where he had killed the she-kat, to the next roof, in search for more prey.

--------------------

Nicky let out a soft gasp as he saw a small image of his uncle appear in a flash from the box. The image of his uncle began to speak.

"Nicky, if thisss box is handed to you by the Passsstmaster, it can only mean, that sssomething hasss happened to me.

First of all, I have a few confessionssss. Mick isss not your father. He never hassss. You are the child, of a evil MareKat, a nightmare creature named Syphon. Before you were born, I managed to kill Syphonsss mate, a female MareKat name Milai, in order to sssave your mother back then. Syphon hasss been after me ever sssince. And jussst 1 year after you were born, he kidnapped you and tried to turn you into a MareKat. I jussst managed to keep you from him long enough until, he had to return to hissss home, the realm of nightmaresss.

And Nicky, if you ssshould ever meet Syphon, and be forced to fight him, then ussse a sssword called The Colbratech Sword. It´sss a powerful weapon, and the only thing that can defeat Syphon. Alssso in the box, you will find a charm. It´sss a dragon-crossss, and if you ssshould ever be in a danger that isss too impossssible for you to get out off, ssspeak out the wordssss loud and clear and then the charm will help you. And please. Forgive me for leaving you. Farewell, my little one."

The image flickered, and disappeared. Nicky sat silent for a few minutes. Then he reached into the box and took out the dragon-cross. It glimpsed in the light of the torches in the room, as the kitten turned it between his fingers.

Then he opened the lock and hung the dragon-cross around his neck. After that, he closed the box and sat with it in deep silence. 

The Pastmaster had in the meantime looked in some of his books, to find out about Aquilla. When he reached up to get a book, he accidently turned over an other book, which fell down and opened up on a page. The Pastmaster bend down to pick it up, when something on the page caught his attention.

------------------------

Aquilla rested in a tree in the place they called "MegaKat Park". He had just feasted on the body of a homeless kat, who had been laying in an alley, completely drunk. He had been very easy to sneak up on. Later, when Aquilla had seeked into the park, he had surprised a couple. After that meal, he was stuffed.

"Soon." The ancient god thought to himself with halfclosed eyes.

"Soon, this world, and any other of the realms will be mine!" Aquilla narrowed his eyes at the thought of his last defeat.

"That *blastet* samurai!" He muttered and pinned his claws into the wood. "He was the one to stop me that time. But in this new age....." He gazed up on the twin towers of MegaKat City, who´s light shined up in the dark, and grinned. "...I doubt there will be any samurais left to defeat me. Ha ha ha haaa...." With those last few words in his mind, he dozed off to sleep.

----------------------

"Hmmm. This is very unusual writing." Dr. Abi Sinian muttered as she stroke her chin and read through the note again. Steel blinked.

  
"Unusual? How?"

"This is a very old form of latin. Apparently describing some sort of god named Aquilla..." She read through the note again.

  
"Oh dear, I think I need to let Jeremy look on this..."

"Jeremy?" Steel asked. 

  
"Yes...He´s the proffesionel at latin here." Abi said. "He should be here." Then she walked off. A few seconds later, she returned with a old grey tom-kat, with thick reading glasses.

"Jeremy, could you please translate this? Lt.Commander Steel found it written on a wall." Abi asked and handed the paper to the old kat.

  
"Hmmm...let me see....." Jeremy muttered. His eyes scanned through the words, and Steel couldn´t help but to think, that if the old kat stared harder, he would burn the paper. Finally, Jeremy spoke.

  
"Ah yes.....I can translate this as easy as stealing candy from a kitten....."Aquillus interocadem heramedus, antoluis terafectum eno chaos"...

'Evil has returned to stay. This says I, Aquilla the lord of terror and destruction!' "

"Great. Just what we needed!" Steel growled. "A cannibalic wanna-play-god killer!" Jeremy shook his head.

"Oh no boy. I´m afraid this is very true!" The old kat said and pointed at the symbol. "I don´t know many who knows of the ancient gods. And Aquilla is one of the oldest. According to legend, he doesn´t have a whole form. He is one of those, in need of an Avatar."  
  
"A-wha?"Steel said.

  
"Avatar. A shelter." Abi said. "According to legend, gods who want to travel among mortals, choose a male or female servant from their religion, and uses his or her body as an Avatar, for then to be able to travel in it."

  
"And Aquilla has always used his for evil purposes." Jeremy scowled. "As far as I know, he enjoyed killing. But every time he has tried to take over all the realms, something has gotten in the way." They got interrupted by Steels beeper.

  
"Dang. Do you have a phone I can borrow?" Steel asked. Abi nodded and pointed at a phone on a desk nearby. Steel walked over, picked up the phone and dialed the number.

  
"Lt. Commander Steel here." He muttered.

  
"This is captain Argen. We´ve found another victim of the murderer. A poor homeless, in an alley. There´s also found the bodys of a young couple in MegaKat Park, nearby where the homeless kat was found. Their parents has been contacted."

"Any sign of, that this is "our" killer?"

"Yes sir, there has been found the same symbol as the one at the first place. You need to come quickly."

"Alright. I´ll be there right away." Steel said and hung up. He turned and nodded to Abi and Jeremy.

"Thanks alot for your help, Dr. Sinian and Dr. Jeremy. I´ll contact you again if we maybe find more about this...Aquilla."

"The same here." Abi said. Steel nodded, and walked out and took off towards MegaKat Park.

-------------------------------

THE PASTMASTERS TOWER

The Pastmaster had gently told Nicky to get some sleep, while the old sorcerer would seek a solution. The Pastmaster returned to the book he had found and started to read.

"Aquilla, the god of Chaos and Destruction. According to legend, one of the most dangerous gods of all time. He is one of those gods, who is in strong need of an Avatar. He has many times tried to take over the world, in different forms. If he should ever be able to defeat the mage known as the Master of Past and Presence, and take over the realm of Nightmares, he will be able to take over all of the different worlds, in the different dimensions. One of his other most powerful skills, is to change the body he has as Avatar, more powerful and more skilled than it already is. Many years ago, he was defeated by the socalled Fullmoon Samurai, the creator and master of the Colbratech-Sword..." 

"So the legend was true. He WAS the creator of the Colbratech-sword." The Pastmaster thought and continued to read. 

"...Who dared to challenge Aquilla, which back then, had taken the body of the japanese emperor, Katezetma the 3rd. It was only by the help of the Colbratech-sword, that the Fullmoon Samurai managed to defeat Aquilla back then. But not until he had trained in the legendary "Chamber of time", who´s magical time-limit, makes it seem as if a whole year inside of it, is only but one day on earth...." The Pastmaster grinned.

"That´s IT!" He muttered and closed the book. "The Chamber of Time!! Why hadn´t I thought of that before??" He quickly grabbed his watch, seeked through a spell-book and started to chant....

---------------------------------

*BEEP*-*BEEP*-*BEEP*

Chance quickly grabbed the klaxon.

  
"T-bone here. What´s happening miss. Briggs?" Callies panicked voice was heard from the other end.

  
"It´s Viper you guys! He´s completely lost it! I just saw him kill a homeless kat, then he saw me, and now he´s after me!"

  
"We´re on our way. Where are you now?"

  
"I´m hiding at a playground, inside MegaKat Park. Hurry!" 

  
"Alright. We´re comming!" Chance said and hung up.

  
"Jake! Viper has completely lost it this time, and now he´s after Callie! We gotta hurry!"

"Comming!" Jake said, and shortly after, the TurboKat roared from under the secret hangar at MegaKat Salvage yard.

---------------------------------

Aquilla grinned as he senced after the she-kat, who had disturbed his meal. She was nearby. He could smell her fear.

Callie had hided inside a play-house on a playground inside the park. The only thing that kept her from screaming in panic was the thought about, that Razor and T-bone were on the way to help her. Then she heard Viper´s voice. And she notised it was different. More evil and deeper. As if it wasn´t Viper at all....

"I´m getting tired of this game, mortal! Come out from your hiding-place now, and I´ll give you a quick death!"

"No way, you psyco!" Callie thought and kept silent. Suddenly, the roar of the engines on a jet, which in Callies ears sounded as the sweetest music on earth, roared over the playground. Aquilla looked up, as the 2 vigilantes came jumping.

"Alright, that´s enough you psyco-lizard!" The big one snarled. Aquilla grinned and his red eyes glimpsed. The smaller seemed to notise.

  
"T-bone, look! Check Viper´s eyes! Don´t they look different?" T-bone looked closer and had to agree with Razor.

  
"Yeah....They look odly red..." He muttered. Viper laughed, with a deeper evil voice which maked the 2 vigilantes fur stand on end.

  
"You fools!" He snarled. "I am not the weak idiot you call Viper. I am Aquilla! The god of chaos and destruction. And I have come to this pityful world, to claim what is mine!" He suddenly pounced and pinned Razor to the ground. T-bone was there imeadially and slammed his fist into Aquilla/Vipers face. The god sneered and attacked the huger kat, which quickly fired off some cement slugs, that slammed Aquilla into a tree.

The god growled and then started to chant, and fired off some energy-blasts, which caused Razor and T-bone to smash into a statue of Mayor Manx.

"Ah ha ha ha haaaa..." Aquilla snarled. "..Finally some prey who at least is a challenge to me...IARGH!!" Suddenly, he clenched his head as if in a head-ache and groaned in pain. His eyes flashed in different colors. Golden, deep-red, and golden again. The golden remained for awhile, and when the snake-kat spoke, it was the real Vipers voice.

  
"S...SWATKATssss.....get out of here..NOW!" He hissed as he clenched his head tight. "..I...I don´t know how long I can keep Aquilla from taking over...you have to go imeadially!" T-bone and Razor blinked.

"Viper?...What´s happening?...What´s wrong?" Razor asked and approached the snake-kat who backed away.

"Don´t come closssser!....Aquilla....issss usssing me asss an Avatar...a ssshelter.... he´sss...too ssstrong...can´t keep it...much longer....you mussst....get away...now!" Suddenly, he let out a crie of pain and fell on his knees. Razor backed away in shock, when he gazed into Aquillas furious red eyes.

"You idiotic mortals!" Aquilla sneered with a evil grin. "You should have listened to Viper. EARG...." He let out another crie of pain and his eyes flashed once more. Viper raised up from the ground and backed away.

  
"Get away, SSSSWATKATSssss....if you find Nicky.....tell him....I´m so ssssorry...." Then Viper summoned all his remaining strengh and ran off into the night. Razor and T-bone blinked surprised.

"What was THAT all about?" T-bone asked. Razor shook his head.

"I dunno buddy, but I´ll bet 10 cans of tuna on, that the Pastmaster knows something about it!"

"And you are right about it, SWATKATS." A familiar voice sounded. The 2 vigilantes spinned around.

"THE PASTMASTER!!!" They both shouted.

CHAPTER 3

Aquilla had returned on full power and was furious. He snarled as he again got control over Vipers body.

"You foolish mortal! How dare you even THINK of interrupting me when I was about to slay those mortals!" A weak tickling in the back of his mind as if someone was laughing at him, made the evil god even more furious than before.

"Oh it´s with THAT on, is it!? Well, try and laugh at this!" He started to chant, and a green and black light incircled around him. He grinned as he heard the sound as from a long distant scream, slowly dying out. He stopped chanting and laughed.

Now nothing would be able to stop him!

-------------------------------

Nicky came running as the Pastmaster appeared together with T-bone and Razor. In a sheath, tied to his back, was the Colbratech sword.

  
"Hello there!" The kitten panted as he stopped up. "My name is Nicky. What´s yours?"

  
"I´m T-bone and this is Razor." T-bone greeted, reaching a paw towards the kitten. "Boy, you have certainly grown since the last time I saw you." Nicky just smiled. The Pastmaster had told him about how the SWATKATS had helped his uncle.

"Nice to meet ya." He said. Then his exspression turned serious.

"Have you come to help me against Aquilla?" The SWATKATS nodded.

"Sorry about your uncle." Razor said. "I hope we can help him." Nicky nodded.

"So do I..." He muttered. "So do I."

"I think we all know eachother by now." The Pastmaster interrupted. "Now, let´s go to the Chamber of Time!" The old sorcerer started to chant, and the strange quartet disappeared in a cloud of sparks.

(A.N: So I changed from smoke to sparks a moment, so what? If you don´t like it, BITE ME! ::the sound of a "chomp":: OW! NOT LITTERALLY!)

--------------------------------------

They appeared at what seemed as a huge door. They gasped as the door opened, and a huge dragon appeared. It looked on them with silvery eyes, and said with a voice like thunder:

  
"I am Tanador. The guardian of the Chamber of Time. In which right, do you come to the chamber?" The Pastmaster stepped forward and lifted his skeletal paws.

  
"Oh, mighty Tanador. I am the Pastmaster, and I have come to seek permission to train these kats...." He shoved with his hand towards the kitten and the 2 vigilantes "...into fighting the god, Aquilla, who has returned to cause chaos and destruction. Will you give us that permission?" The dragon narrowed it´s silvery eyes and thought alittle.

"How can you prove, that your quest IS to train in the Chamber of Time and not just come to steal the Equador-jewel?"

"Equador-jewel?" Nicky thought. The Pastmaster walked over and laid a paw on Nicky´s shoulder.

"The proof we can show you, is this!" The old sorcerer grabbed the sword and hold it up towards Tanador, who grabbed it and examined it with a low rumbling sound. Tanador sniffled at the Colbratech-jewel, and slided his long red tongue over the blade.

  
"Ahhh yes...." Tanador muttered when he was done with his examining. "...It´s been a long time since I last had the Colbratech-sword in my claws. I recognise the taste of it´s magic. It´s power." Then Tanador shoved out his giant wings and stepped aside, allowing the quartet to step inside. He handed the Colbratech-sword back to Nicky, and then said:

  
"You have my full permission, to go into the Chamber of Time, and fulfil your training. Good luck, in your upcomming battle against the darkness that threaten your world." T-bone, Razor and Nicky looked on eachother. Then they followed the Pastmaster inside, of the Chamber of Time.

T-bone and Razors eyes went wide with what they saw. It was a huge training room. It almost seemed similar to their own obstacle-room back at the hangar.

"Whoaaa." T-bone muttered. "It looks like our obstacle room at home!"

  
"What obstacle room?" Nicky asked. "I only see alot of training devices, like in a gym-hall."

"I don´t see that." Razor replied. The 3 were interrupted by the Pastmaster who was chuckling.

  
"What´s so funny?" T-bone asked offended.

  
"Oh, it´s just that I didn´t tell you about the chambers effect. Try and guess, why it´s called the Chamber of Time."

  
"Uhh...because a year inside the chamber is only 1 day outside in our world?" Nicky suggested. The Pastmaster nodded.

  
"That too. And...?" Razor looked around for a bit and then snapped his fingers.

  
"It depends on what we think as a training-room!" The sorcerer chuckeled and clapped in his skeletal paws.

"Bravo, SWATKAT. That is exactly what it is. That is one of the powers of the Chamber of Time. I as an examble, see a yard, with different devices from the dark ages." He then turned and walked over to a large chest on the size of a big dog, and opened it. A beam of light shined out and forced the 2 SWATKATS and the kitten to cover their eyes. When they looked up again, they saw the Pastmaster signal and they all 3 came over.

"Well, I don´t think you will be able to defeat Aquilla with your modern weapons." The old sorcerer said as he reached into the chest.

  
"And therefore I give you, T-bone, the whip of Anachia." The Pastmaster handed the whip to T-bone and turned to Razor.

"And for you, Razor, the bow of Kétanx." Razor took the bow and blinked.

"Hey, I don´t see any string. And where´s the arrows?"

"It´s a magical bow. There isn´t any string or arrows.You just have to use it like a normal bow. Let me show you." The Pastmaster took the bow and tightened a invisible string, and let go. There was a flash, and a fire-arrow zoomed out of thin air and fried a ring-target.

(A.N: If you readers out there know the cartoons of "Dungeons and Dragons", the bow of Kétanx works the same way)

"Wowie!" Nicky gasped. The Pastmaster handed the bow back to Razor, who took it and let his fingers glide over the wood.

"Now I must go. I must keep an eye on, what Aquilla does. I will inform you about it, as the time goes."

"Wait wait wait!" T-bone said. "We´re gonna stay in here for 2 years? Bastet know what will happen in the meantime!"

"Don´t worry about it, SWATKAT. It will seem as 2 years in here in the chamber, but in earth-time, it is only 2 days. If we´re lucky, there won´t happen much there." The Pastmaster said. Then he looked on Nicky and laid a paw on his shoulder.

  
"Good luck in your training, Nicky. I can´t promise anything, but I hope I will find a way, to help Viper as well." Nicky just nodded and hugged the small sorcerer.

"Bye, Pastmaster. Be careful, will ya?" The Pastmaster smiled and nodded, and then walked out of the doors.

------------------------------

The Master of Past and Presence smirked. The form and mind-changer Shadow-whips body laid in a twisted position in front of him, her eyes wide from pain and shock, and her chest was ripped up. A huge black Shantu growled and laid down beside the mage. The Master of Past and Presence looked down on the panther-like creature, who calmly looked back and grumbled.

"So....Syphon managed to escape? Well, then that will learn him, not to even THINK of betraying me." The mage laughed and walked away from Shadow-whips corpse together with the Shantu.

-------------------------------

Aquilla was resting. He sat with straight back, folded legs, and closed eyes. His paws, was on his knees and the long tail curled up around his body. To some, it would seemas if he was meditating, but for himself, it was a way to seek answers. He had already been sitting like this for a day. And right now, he was seeking a way, to take over MegaKat City.

He searched in the deepest corners of his mind, and then a strange image appeared. It almost looked like a dragon, but then again....

Aquilla smiled. He had found the answer he had seeked.

Slowly, he raised his arms up in the air and started to chant.

----------------------------------

Nicky panted as he put down the sword, and leaned against it. His arms felt like they were ready to fall off. They had been there for only 6 months, but Nicky was still not good enough with the sword. The Chamber of Time was interesting. If Nicky and the 2 grown SWATKATS were tired, beds would appear. If they were hungry, food and drink would appear right out of thin air, and vanish again when the 3 kats were done.

"I´d wish there was a easier way to use this thing!" T-bone growled as he for the 110th time had managed to wrap himself up in the whip of Anachia. Razor didn´t reply as he was too busy with trying to handle the bow of Kétanx. He stretched the invisibe string, and fired off an ice-arrow which freezed the ringtarget. Then he fired off an fire-arrow which melted the ice. 

  
"Hmmm...." The caramel-colored tom-kat muttered. "I wonder if it can only fire off ice and fire...."

"Who knows? It could fire off bola-missles for all I care." T-bone said as he got himself free from the whip. Razor looked thoughtful for moment, and then snapped his fingers.

  
"Of course! I keep on thinking of fire and ice! Maybe....." He stretched the string, concentrated, and fired. A screaming arrow appeared and zoomed around in the room. Nicky and T-bone yelled and covered their ears.

  
"AAARRRGHH!! RAZOR STOP THAT BLASTED NOISE!!" T-bone shouted, and cracked with the whip towards the arrow. The whip curled itself around the arrow and splintered it to bits, that fell to the floor.

"Awesome!!" Nicky gaped. The 3 kats looked on eachother. Razor grinned.

  
"I think we´ve found a PROPER way to train!" He said.

-------------------

The Pastmaster sighed. In the 2 days which had almost felt as 2 centuries, he hadn´t heard anything to Aquilla. 

"I wonder what that bastard is up to." The old sorcerer growled. Suddenly, his magical potion which allowed him to see what happened in MegaKat City, flashed. The Pastmaster rushed over and gasped.

"Oh no! Now there is SERIOUS trouble!"

------------------------------

  
"Awesome movie, wouldn´t you say, Karin?" Eric asked his girlfriend as they were on their way home from the movies. They had just been in to see "Jurassic Park". Karin shuddered and snuggled up in her boyfriends outstretched arm.

"Yeah. But the part where the T-rex first appeared was so scary! To think they could tell it was comming, by the sounds of it´s steps and those rings in the water...ugh!!" Eric chuckeled and hold her close.

"Hey don´t worry baby! I´ll protect ya if there comes a big bad T-rex!" Karin laughed, as he stood up in a defence pose, and said with Dirty Harry accent.

  
"Do you feel lucky? Do ya, ya prehistoric punk?!" 

  
"Oh lord, Eric, your so crazy!" Karin laughed, but stopped when she heard a strange distant rumbling.

"What was that?" Eric stopped up and listened. When nothing was heard, he shrugged.

"Nah, maybe just thunder. If it´s about to rain, we´d better walk faster." Karin nodded and they both hurried down the sidewalk in silence. Shortly after, they heard another rumbling. Karin gasped as she eyes a waterholl.

  
"Eric, look!" As the rumbling grew louder, the rings that came in the water, vibrated faster and faster. A giant shadow fell upon the street, and Eric and Karin and several other kats looked up and screamed in panic. 

----------------------------------

"Allright, that should do the trick." T-bone said as he rolled in the whip, and tied it to his belt. Nicky had the Colbratech-Sword tied to his back, and the same with Razor. Suddenly, the doors flew open and Tanador rushed in.

  
"You must hurry mortals! I have just received horrible news from the Pastmaster! The god Aquilla is wrecking havoc in your home called MegaKat City. You must go back to your world imeadially!"

"But how?" Nicky said. "How are we going to get back in time?" Tanador bowed down.

"Crawl up on my back. I will take you home to your world, as fast as lightning." The 3 kats nodded and quickly crawled up on the dragon, and shortly after, the dragon rushed out of the doors in the chamber of time, and flew into a magical portal, leading to MegaKat City.

-------------------------------------

The Pastmaster waited for them as they arrived at the MegaKat Tower, the now highest point in MegaKat City.

  
"I am so glad you are back now SWATKATS and Nicky." He nodded towards the now 12 yearold kitten who just nodded with a glimpse in his eye.

"Now that you are back in your own realm, I will return to my duty as the guardian of the chamber, Tanador said and prepared to lift off.

  
"WAIT!" Nicky cried. He ran over and hugged the dragons leg.

"Thankyou so much for getting us here." The kitten said and hugged the dragon again. Tanador smiled and nodged the kitten forehead with it´s snout.

  
"You are welcome child. I hope you will succeed in helping your uncle and defeating Aquilla. And now, farewell."

The dragon spread out it´s wings and disappeared with a roar through a portal in the inkblack nightsky.

"It is good you came now." The Pastmaster said and pointed out towards the city.

"Look!" The 3 kats looked and gasped at the sight. It was the Viper-Zilla. And it was even bigger than last time the SWATKATS had fought it. Nicky gasped.

  
"Oh no! This really doesn´t look too good! We have to do something!" Razor and T-bone nodded.

  
"I agree with ya in that kiddo!" T-bone growled. 

"The best thing is, that we go first. And that you stay here." Nicky blinked.

  
"Stay here? Why?" Razor kneeled down, so his eyes were on the same height as the kittens.

"I know that it may sound unfair, but you have to stay here right now. If you go with us right now and something happens, then no one will be able to stop Aquilla at all! Please, Nicky. Do this, not only for us, but for your uncle as well." Nicky stared at the SWATKATS. Then he looked down.

"Allright. I promise I´ll stay here." He murmured. Razor gave alittle smile and laid a paw on the kittens shoulder.

  
"Allright. Let´s go T-bone!" The short kat said and they leaved. Then they flew towards the Viper-Zilla, on some wyverns that the Pastmaster had summoned since there was no time to get the TurboKat. Nicky looked after them. Then he smirked and started to crawl down from the tower.

  
"Maybe I promised to stay here, but I didn´t SWEAR that I would stay!" He muttered as he reached the ground and ran towards the place where Aquilla was wreaking havoc.

-------------------------------------

Aquilla laughed as he watched the mortals run in fear.

  
"Run, you fools! Run! I will only enjoy hunting you, and squesh you as the bugs you are!"

  
Suddenly, a flaming arrow zipped past Aquillas ear. The huge creature turned his head, and saw a wyvern. And on it´s back, were one of the mortals known as SWATKATS. The small kat sat with a very familiar weapon. The bow of Kétanx. He fired again, this time with a bola-arrow which wrapped around the god. Aquilla snarled as he tightened his muscles, cutting the bolas tight bands.

"You think, you can stop me with this? Well you are wrong!"He snarled. He slammed out with his tail, but the wyvern quickly flew out of distance. Aquilla growled as he spotted the other SWATKAT, who also had a familiar weapon. The whip of Anachia! The SWATKAT directed the wyvern near Aquilla and managed to hit the god in the back of his neck. Aquilla howled in pain and spinned around, snapping wildly after the mortal.

T-bone signaled to Razor, who took the chance and fired off a screaming arrow. Aquilla roared in agony as the arrow zoomed around his head, driving him insane with the horrible noise.

  
"WHAT KIND OF MAGIC IS THIS!?" Aquilla screamed, and launched out with his tail. Razor and T-bone, were both slammed away, whirling towards the ground. Aquilla snapped out and stopped the screaming arrow, by snapping it over in half. The sound stopped, and Aquilla sighed in relief.

  
"Ahhh. Much better."

  
"COWARD!" A small voice shouted. Aquilla looked down and saw a kitten, standing with the Colbratech-Sword. He growled.

  
"WHAT...did you call me!?" 

  
"I called you a coward! For only one your size, would hit someone, that´s smaller than you! And that is cowardice!" The kitten shouted bravely. Aquilla snarled.

"How dare you, you little brat! I´ll show you, that Aquilla is not a coward!"

"Then prove it by comming down here!" The kitten shouted back. "In MegaKat Park! In 15 minutes!" Aquilla snarled.

"That shall be a deal, mortal! I will show you, that no one calls Aquilla a coward!" Then he disappeared into thin air.

---------------------

Syphon the MareKat clawed and crawled his way through the nighmare realm. He was wounded, bloody and very weak. And he was pissed!

"When I get my claws on that blastet Viper...." He kept on muttering to himself. Then suddenly, he realised something. Claws! Of course, why hadn´t he thought of that before?

A evil grin sneaked it´s way over the MareKat´s face, and he began to walk again, with newfound strengh.

He would teach Viper to fear the claws of the MareKat!

----------------------

Nicly glared around in the darkness of the park. Where was Aquilla? Then he spotted 2 red glowing points in the darkness under some trees.

"Are you looking for me?" Aquilla asked mocking as he errupted from the shadows. He seemed had indeed changed the former features, which Nicky knew of his uncle. Aquilla was as tall the villain Darkkat, and the powerful muscles were crossing on Aquillas arms and legs, like very thin cables. Aquillas eyes flashed as he licked his lips with a evil grin.

"So, little mortal. Be prepared to die!" Suddenly, Aquilla pounced, but Nicky quickly speeded out of reach, and turned around to face the god, pulling out the Colbratech-Sword from it´s sheath. The Colbratech-jewel flashed and blinded both the kitten and the super-natural being.

Nicky was the first to recover and quickly jumped forward and slashed Aquilla across his chest. Aquilla howled in surprise and pain.

Nicky growled, and prepared for another attack. Aquilla crouched like a huge tiger and snarled.

"Stupid child! You will pay for that! Like your dear uncle. He dared to interrupt me when I fought against the SWATKATS, and now..." Aquilla laughed. "...He is send into oblivion!" Nicky gasped.

"No...." He whispered. Aquilla laughed evilly. "And now you shall join him!" He chanted and send a energy-ball towards Nicky, who dodged it with the sword. Nicky clenched the sword, tears of anger starting to roll down his cheeks.

"You...you MURDERER!!!" He screamed and attacked in blind fury. 

The kitten and the evil god fighted in what seemed as eternity. Time and time again, Aquilla slammed out after Nicky who was lucky to hit Aquilla several times with the sword. The god of chaos and destruction snarled. 

"I am tired of this stupid game, kitten!"

Aquilla launched out with his tail, and slammed the kitten into a tree, making him drop the sword. Aquilla kicked the sword out of reach and prepared to attack Nicky.

"You stupid little mortal." He said in a low dangerous voice. "That will show you, that nothing and no one can defeat Aquilla!" He raised a paw and extended his claws, and was ready to rip up the kittens chest, when suddenly, a whip cracked, and tightened around Aquilla, holding his arms close to his body. Nicky gasped happily as he saw who it was.

"T-bone! Razor! Your alive! But....I saw you fall when Aquilla slammed you off the wyverns...." T-bone grinned.

"Then it was a good thing, the Pastmaster had send a few extra wyverns along! But hurry now! I can´t hold Aquilla much longer. Use the sword!"

Nicky nodded and ran over, grabbed the Colbratech-Sword who´s jewel glimpsed in the moon-light, and ran over to the god.

"THIS ONE´S FOR YOU UNCLE VIPER!" Nicky shouted and struck with the sword. Aquilla roared as the sword pierced his heart, and fell to his knees.

"IAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!"

The evil gods death-howl seemed to last forever. As Nicky and the SWATKATS watched, Aquilla started to glow. Then it seemed as if his body flashed into small pieces, and disappeared into the nightsky. The following silence, hit like a iron-wall. There was nothing let of Aquilla or Viper. Even the Colbratech-sword had vanished.

Nicky fell to his knees and looked up in the nightsky.

"I´m sorry uncle...." He whispered as the tears of sorrow ran down his cheeks.

"....So sorry."

CHAPTER 5

Viper´s body hurt all over. The last thing he remembered, was that he had ran off from MegaKat Park, in order not to kill the SWATKATS. Aquilla had done something to him, that had hurt terribly. But it was no match to this. When the snakekat opened his eyes, he discovered he was in a forest. He sat up, and groaned in pain, as the scars on his body began to ache.

He raised up from the ground with much difficult, and then spotted something in the grass a few meters away. It was the Colbratech-Sword!

"What is it doing here? And where am I?" Viper asked himself outloud.

  
"You are in the realm of Nightmares, mortal! And now, you shall pay for what you did to my Milai!" A familiar voice snarled, and Viper cried out in pain as he felt some claws scratch his back. He spinned around and saw Syphon, who glared at him with his single eye, burning from hate, bloodthirst and insanity. His claws was dripping with green blood. Vipers blood.

"You know what time it is? It´s time for you to die!" Syphon cackeled in a high-pitched voice.

(A.N: Think: The riddler from Batman Forever. If you haven´t catched that one, think...shall we say...uhm...someone. Now back to the story.)

"Okayyy. Now he has COMPLETELY lost it!" Viper thought. Suddenly, the MareKat pounced at Viper, who quickly fell to the ground, and rolled over to the sword, catching it and jumping up in one smooth move (though it still hurt like hell). Viper launched with the sword towards Syphon who dodged it, and scratched Viper with his claws again. Viper hissed in pain, and attacked again, with the same result. Viper who began to fell strange dizzy, jumped away from the MareKat and stood in a defence pose, his tail swinging and the sword glimpsing in the light from the sun above. Syphon cackeled.

"It´s no use, snakekat! I am going to win anyway!" Viper narrowed his eyes and crouched further.

  
"Think fast, Viper. Think fast damnit!" He thought angrily to himself. Then he suddenly notised something behind Syphon. Some dark shadow....

"Ssssyphon, look behind you!" Syphon laughed.

  
"You think I am going to believe that trick? Oh please, it was used even before the gods thought up of making your stupid little world, and...IARGH!" "REEEOOOOAAARRRWWWW!!!" 

Viper gasped as a huge panther-like creature on the size of a small pony and with tentacles attached to it´s shoulders attacked the MareKat from behind and digged it´s large fangs into the MareKats neck. Syphon roared in pain and fear, and tried to fight for his life, but the panther-creature was much too strong, and the MareKat soon lay dead on the ground. The panther-creature growled and turned from the corpse and eyed Viper.

Viper shuddered under the creatures look and suddenly felt himself not only shuddering from that. It suddenly felt as if someone or something was switching around on the bones in his legs, and everything was spinning, making the snakekat fall to his knees. The panther-creature grumbled and then let out a high roar as a light figure arrived. Viper blinked against the light, and his jaw nearly fell to the ground when he saw who it was. It was the same old kat who he had seen, when he had only been a kitten! 

(A.N: Another kat you read about in my first COTM story) 

The old grey kat lifted it´s paw towards the panther-creature.

"Shantu! Your assignment is fulfilled. Now go back to your master, and tell him that I, Sharrakus will take care of the mortal." The Shantu growled and backed away. Then it turned and ran off into the forest. Sharrakus turned around and faced Viper, with his sad cloud-grey eyes.

"Oh my dear child, what have that MareKat done to you?" Viper couldn´t reply as it had started to hurt even when he breathed, which now came out as small painful gasps. Sharrakus walked forward and kneeled down, to face the snakekat.

"You know who I am?" Viper nodded.

"I...I´ve ssseen you once before....when I was a kitten...." Sharrakus nodded.

"Yes. And do you know, what Syphon has done to you?"

"Besssidesss trying to hurt my family, and scratching me in battle? No." Sharrakus´s look turned even more serious.

"You must know this. Syphon has poisoned you with his claws, and you are dying." Viper blinked.

"D...dying? How....?" Sharrakus gritted his teeth in disgust.

"By dipping his claws in the blood of a basilisk. MareKats are the only one immune to those beasts, and the basilisks blood is poisonous. That was why Syphon didn´t carry any weapon. He had the weapon in his claws."

  
"I..I´m going...t...to die?" Viper whispered, his eyes wide in fear like a kitten. Sharrakus nodded sadly.

  
"Yes. But there is one hope for you to survive."

"And that issss?" Viper asked, now feeling more dizzy than before. The grey kat turned and showed a orb on the size of a football.

"You must touch this orb. It is your only hope for savior." Viper narrowed his eyes and glared at Sharrakus.

  
"How do I know your not lying? What if it´ssss some sort of trap?" Sharrakus narrowed his eyes.

"Because I am your guardian angel! I have been it since you first breathed, and it is too early for you to die! Now touch it!" He shouted. 

Viper stared at the grey kat, and then looked on the orb. Then he slowly reached out, and stroked the orbs smooth form. Something that felt like lightning zapped through Viper´s body, making him scream in pain. Every one of his memories, good as bad flashed through his head. The death of his father, the joy when he heard he had gotten the job at MK biolab, the betrayal of Darkkat, and the first fight with Syphon. And the memory of Kathy.

She was the last thing he remembered, when the pain suddenly disappeared, and he fell into a soft, gentle darkness.

---------------------------------------

When he awoke, he was laying somewhere else. In a different kind of forest. He sat up and looked around. This place seemed so odly familiar to him. He saw a river, and felt the thirst rush through his throat like a desertstorm and crawled over to get something to drink. As he bend over he saw his own reflection in the water and pulled back with a gasp. That hadn´t been his face! He bend over again, and looked. His eyes widened, as he saw what it was.

It was not the face of Dr. Viper! But the face of Elrod Purvis!! Elrod looked on his paw, and touched it with the other. They were both covered in soft, golden fur and when he let a paw glide over his head, he felt a small wild mane of black hair, and not the 3 smooth spikes. Then he looked down himself and found himslef dressed in a blue shirt, darkbrown pants, and a black jacket and wearing a pair of sportsshoes on his feet. He then turned half around in his sitting position and saw his tail. It was short, and covered in the color of fur as his paws, and twitched alittle as he touched it.

"No. It is not a dream." A voice sounded. Elrod jumped up and saw Sharrakus sit on a stone. The old kat smiled.

  
"What is this? What has happened to me?" Elrod said. Also his voice sounded different now. Sharrakus closed his eyes, and then opened them again.

"The orbs magic has changed you back to that form you truly belong in." He said. "And also send you back in time. This place....do you recognise it?" Elrod looked around. Then he gave a small nod.

  
"Yes...it´s the same forest as home at Kemberton Ville, the place where I was born!" Sharrakus smiled.  


"Precisely. You have been brought back to exactly 9 years ago. A short period after you said goodbye to Kathy Peterson in your form of Dr. Viper. And your sister Samantha, and your brother John, for not to mention your brother-in-law, Mick are all healthy and alive. They haven´t disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, and they never will. And Syphon is gone forever, so you don´t have to fear him again."

"But what am I supposed to do now?" Elrod asked. Sharrakus smiled again, and Elrod saw, that he was fading away.

"Go home, young one. And start a new life. There´s a pretty shekat waiting for you." Then he was gone. Elrod looked at the place where Sharrakus had been standing for awhile. Then he turned, and headed via an old path, towards Kemberton Ville.

-----------------------------------

"Peek-a-boo!" Samantha cooed as she looked out from under the rug. Nicky giggled and waved in the air with his small arms.

  
"Oh yeaaaah, your such a big boy!" Samantha smiled. She turned her head when the doorbell ringed.

"I´LL GET IT!" She shouted and ran out to the door. When she opened the door, she nearly had a heartattack.

"E...Elrod?" She whispered. Her brother smiled.

"Hello Samantha." He said. Samantha stood dumbfounded.

  
"E...Elrod....b...but how..." Elrod sighed.

"It´s a long and very tirering story, sis. Mind if I come in?" Samantha shook her head and stepped aside, so Elrod could step inside.

EPILOGUE

Kathy Peterson sighed as she for the-gods-know-what-time flipped through the old photoalbum from her highschool days. She paused at the ones with herself, and her best friend, Elrod Purvis.

"Oh EP, how I miss you." She thought to herself. "Sometimes I imagine that you ring on the bell on the door, and is standing right there when I open it....if only that was true....."

Suddenly she realised, that the door WAS ringing, and she walked out to see who it was. She sighed annoyed as she through the eyeholl saw, that it was her ex-fianceé, Thomas.

"Kathy darling, it´s me. Are you there, sugarlumbs?" He said. Kathy groaned.

  
"Thomas, go away! I don´t to speak with you ever again, understand!?" She shouted.

  
"But baby....!" Began Thomas. Kathy locked up the door and opened it and stared on Thomas with a look that could make a planet explode.

"Listen you big thickheaded idiot..." Kathy began, in a low dangerous tone.

"We are not going to come together again, and if you even THINK of trying to ring the bell on that door, I will...I will....UCH!" Then she slammed the door shut. Thomas' ears dropped, and he walked down the stairs. On the halfway, he nearly bumped into a smaller tom-kat.

"Sorry." He muttered.

"It´s OK. I´m not offended." The kat replied calmly and then headed past Thomas, who stopped up and looked after the kat.

"Say....he looked kinda familiar...." Thomas muttered. Then he shrugged, and headed on down the stairs.

----------

Kathy sighed annoyed as the doorbell rang again.

"I swear, if it is Thomas again...." She muttered angrily to herself.

But it wasn´t Thomas. In fact, there was no one. Kathy blinked and opened the door.

"Hello?" She called. No answer.

"Hmmm. Odd." Kathy thought, and was about to close the door, when she eyed a note on the floor. She bend down and picked it up and started to read.

"Go to the park and wait at the fountain." Kathy looked for a signature, but there was none.

"Hmmm. I have a weird feeling about this...but then again, it awakens my curiosity." She muttered, grabbed her jacket and headed down the stairs, out on the street, and towards the park.

----------

When she arrived at the fountain, she found another note.

"Now sit down, until a kitten with a red ball comes. He will have something for you. Make sure to give him a small reward."

"Allright. I´ll wait." Kathy muttered, and sat down. A few minutes later, the kitten with the red ball appeared, and when he eyed Kathy, he imeadially ran over to her.

"Are you miss Kathy?" He squaled. Kathy nodded.

"Yes. You have something for me?" The kitten nodded and handed her a small box.

"Here you are miss Kathy." He said. Kathy thanked him, and gave him 5 dollars in reward. The kitten beamed and then ran off.

"Hmmm...." Kathy thought. "I wonder what´s in it." She gasped as she opened it, and saw a beautiful diamond-ring. Kathy looked up as she heard a familiar voice.

"Sooo....what will it be?" Elrod asked with a smirk as he leaned up at the fountain. Kathys eyes widened.

  
"EP?...Is it really you!?" Elrod smiled.

"It´s me allright." Then he kneeled down.

"Kath....will you marry me?" Kathy let out a high shriek of joy and hugged Elrod, kissing him deeply. Elrod hold her close.

"I´ll take that as a yes." He said when Kathy let go. Kathy laughed and kissed him again.

THE END

Last note from the author: That´s all folks! We won´t be hearing more from Syphon anymore. (thank God) He he. And I couldn´t resist this, but to let Kathy and EP have eachother again. Don´t you people just love a happy ending?

Send me comments on the usual: fantasygirl47@hotmail.com

or on the new: Dr_Viper75@hotmail.com

Hope you enjoyed the story people. ^_~

KS Claw


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